The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's fall world-premiere production of Cathy Tempelsman's A Most Dangerous Woman, about the Victorian-era writer George Eliot, will be directed by Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr.

Performances will begin Sept. 18 at The Shakespeare Theatre's F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison, NJ. Maltby, a musical-theatre lyricist (Big, Closer Than Ever, Miss Saigon, Baby), is also a respected director. He won the 1978 Tony Award for his direction of Ain't Misbehavin', which he also conceived. He also directed Broadway's Fosse and Ring of Fire.

According to Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Most Dangerous Woman "explores the extraordinary life of Mary Ann Evans — better known by her pen name George Eliot — one of the leading authors of the Victorian era. In order to be taken more seriously as a writer, Eliot took the name and was forced into a world of deception and secrets."

Playwright Cathy Tempelsman said in a statemnent, "Out of the isolation she suffers — born of her own passion and need — she develops a preternatural insight into hidden and secret lives and the suffering of ordinary men and women, who, dramatically, are as rich and compelling as the kings and queens we find in Shakespeare."

A Most Dangerous Woman is the recipient of a Pilgrim Fund development grant and has received readings at Primary Stages, The Vineyard Playhouse in Martha's Vineyard, The Dramatists Guild and Nuneaton Town Hall in England. Her one-act play Missing was produced at Boston Playwrights Theatre and the Barrow Group in New York City, and was recently published by Smith and Kraus. Prior to writing plays, Tempelsman worked for the Wall Street Journal and she is the author of the parenting guide "Child-Wise." Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Vineyard Gazette and Coastal Living.

Casting and creative team will be announced at a later date. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Main Stage, the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus) in Madison, NJ.